Little squirts to the rescue

As budgets are cut, fire services may reduce the size of their tenders

London's firefighting Minis are suitable for up to one third of all callouts (Peter Tarry)

THE NEXT time you call 999 to report a fire, you may not get a big red fire
engine racing round the corner with its siren wailing and blue lights
cutting through the smoke. It could be a two-seat Mini.

Fire brigades are drawing up plans to replace traditional engines with smaller
cars, including Minis. The vehicles are said to reduce response times, as
they can travel faster and manoeuvre more easily than a big tender. They can
cope with a third of all call-outs, including “cat stuck up a tree” calls,
fires in skips and wheelie bins and other small blazes.

The initiative will also save millions of pounds and could require fewer
firefighters. The London Fire Brigade, Britain’s biggest fire and rescue
service, is leading the way. The capital’s fleet of fire cars includes five
firefighting Minis that were used at the Olympic Park during last summer’s
Games.